Former Permanent Secretary Dave Munya Mwangi is accused of forging the title deed of a 1.592 hectare plot of land on Mombasa Road belonging to Holloway Properties Limited and fraudulently obtaining Sh12 million from Onda Concrete Limited by falsely claiming that the land was available for lease.
Former Permanent Secretary Dave Munya Mwangi has been charged over a Sh350 million land fraud. Mr Mwangi was charged before Milimani Courts Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi with forging the title deed of a 1.592-hectare parcel of land owned by Hasmita Patel trading as Holloway Properties Limited.
The accused, who was acquitted 11 months ago in the multi-billion Anglo-leasing scandal, is also charged with fraudulently obtaining Sh12 million from Onda Concrete Limited by pretending that he was in a position to lease to the company the said parcel of land.
He allegedly obtained the money on November 10, 2023. The former PS faces five counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery, obtaining money by false pretences and uttering a forged document.
The property in question is situated on Mombasa Road. Mr Mwangi denied that he forged the signature of former Commissioner of Lands Sammy Mwaita on a grant LR No 20261 IR No 90202 dated November 23, 2001.
He is also accused of forging a signature of another Commissioner of Lands Jane Kanja over the same parcel of land 23 years ago. The former PS has denied that on December 2023, he knowingly gave to Constable Omari Fadhila the alleged forged grant of the land claiming it was genuine and issued by the Ministry of Lands.
He is further accused of conspiring to commit a felony by allegedly defrauding Patel by forging the letter of grant claiming to be a genuine document issued by the Ministry of Lands.
Mr Mwangi, who was arrested on Tuesday, applied to be released on bond, saying he is not a flight risk. “I urge this court to take judicial notice that he is a senior citizen having served the government in various capacities and I cannot abscond,” the accused pleaded.
State prosecutor Virginia Kariuki did not oppose the bail bond plea. Mr Ekhubi proceeded to release the accused on a bond of Sh20 million with a surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Sh5 million with two contact persons. The matter will be mentioned on January 21, 2025.
